I just came home from vacation today, and this was the race on the TV here. Great to see women's racing getting some airtime again (there has been approximately 0 hours coverage since the world championship last year )

I could also name this short sum-up how to snatch defeatfrom the jaws of victoryfeat. the Dutch women's team

Basically, they dominated the entire race from start of my watching ~100 km out to 100m from the finish line. They made the race hard by taking part and initiating so many attacks I completely lost count (about 3 each round I think...)In the final lap the set up Anna van der Breggen to duel wil Longo Borghini and in most circumstances, with the absence of any major climb, just a few short hills including a very steep one - that would be van der Breggen's race to loose. Longo Borghini failed to distance van der Breggen on the steep climb, but then van der Breggen marked Longo Borghini for a few km's after the climb, instead of taking the lead. Turned out the Dutch team wanted to win it with a sprint, and it looked good at 300 m with 3 - woman lead out in front. Then they managed to box in their own sprinter, Lorena Wiebes, on the left side of the road, leaving right half open for riders starting their sprint further back. Marta Bastianelli would not let that opportunity go - taking the victory - and Marianne Vos, who wasn't in the lead-out train, started even further back following Bastianelli to 2nd place.

Nominated as tactical screw-up of the year and posted here as it would be great if someone could fill in on what the Dutch reactions have been after the race.

The city circuit is ok, it reminds me a bit about the worlds course in 2015 (Richmond, VA, USA). The racing was quite entertaining, with something going on all the time. I am not sure if the course will be as good for the men. I think the hills weren't hard enough to really split the peloton, and it is quite likely to wind down to the usual showdown: Sagan vs Kristoff episode number ... what is it now? (special appearance Viviani as the new guy)

And even if she had had a clear run and a decent leadout, I couldn't (yet) see Wiebes beating Bastianelli in her best form since, well, back in the day. Pieters wasn't there but isn't a pure sprinter and Vos is a spent force nowadays in that sort of finish.